Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
NEW YORK (AP) — When big retail chains close stores, it can be a blow or a blessing for small businesses located near the shuttered merchants.
Some small companies including retail competitors or junk haulers can pick up business. Aric Shlifka, the owner of Kiddles Sports in Lake Forest, Illinois, says many shoppers gravitate to a smaller store when one of the big players shuts down. The demise of the Sports Authority last year has contributed to a 5 percent increase in business for him since then.
But some businesses can see sales suffer when a big nearby retailer that has been a shopper magnet disappears.
Yogibo, which sells casual furniture, says it had to work harder to make itself more visible to shoppers after Sears vacated parts of its stores in some malls.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
